This invention relates to a novel applicator blade assembly for use with a resurfacing machine of the type described in my earlier U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,906,126 and 4,917,533, both of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. The machines as described in the above mentioned patents, as well as in a third prior patent, i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,265, were designed for resurfacing tennis courts, parking lots, warehouse floors and the like. A significant aspect of these prior machines is the incorporation of free-floating forward and rearward applicators for smoothing and spreading the acrylic composition. The forward applicator in one embodiment of my prior machine was provided with a leading squeegee type blade and a trailing brush, while the rearward applicator was provided with leading and trailing brushes. The applicators as described in my prior patents are particularly beneficial when applying coating material (such as acrylic) of relatively low viscosity and in relatively thin layers, e.g. 12-15 mils. There remained a need, however, for an applicator assembly which would reliably and uniformly distribute thicker coating material including cementitious materials as typically used in parking lot applications, for example.
The blade applicator assembly in accordance with this invention has been found to be particularly useful with thicker coating material (up to 150 mils or more) of greater viscosity, and including cementitious materials. The blade applicator assembly of this invention may be mounted on my prior machine in the same manner as (and are interchangeable with) the forward and rearward applicators described in my above identified prior patents. For applications such as multi-coat systems for parking lots, the applicator assemblies of my prior patents and the blade applicator assembly disclosed herein may be selectively used to apply the various components of the multi-coat system as will be described in greater detail herein.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the blade applicator assembly, which is designed for use as both forward and rearward applicators, includes an elongated, channel member or beam which supports a plurality of squeegee blades, aligned end-to-end, from one end of the base member to the other. At the interface between adjacent blades, a (rubber) squeegee flap is employed to cover the interface gap or seam to thereby prevent coating material from passing between adjacent vertical edges of the respective squeegee blades. The lower edges of the aligned blades are notched, with openings varying in size depending on the thickness of the coating to be applied.
The blades are sandwiched between rigid plates which, in turn, are attached to the channel member or beam by means of a plurality of spring loaded rods, enabling the blades to individually self-adjust in a vertical direction as the machine travels over uneven floors.
In another aspect of the invention, an elongated roller bar is pivotally secured to the channel member, extending rearwardly therefrom, and adapted to roll the coating previously uniformly distributed by the forward, notched squeegee blades. The roller bar is designed to receive interchangeable roller covers, the selection of which depends on the coating material applied. The roller serves to apply a final surface texture to the coating material, and to remove any air bubbles (i.e., aerate) present in the material, and as such, is secured to the rearward applicator assembly only.
Another feature of the invention relates to the utilization of vertically oriented end blades extending perpendicularly with respect to the spring loaded squeegee blades, on both forward and rearward applicator assemblies. These end blades, which may be laterally adjustable, extend forwardly from opposite ends of the applicator, and are mounted for self-adjusting up and down movement as determined by floor surface and gravity. These end blades serve to confine the coating material within the area defined by the applicator assembly per se.
Accordingly, the present invention in its broader aspects relates to a resurfacing apparatus for distribution and smoothing of a predetermined thickness of coating material on a surface, the apparatus comprising at least one applicator assembly having first means for spreading the material uniformly over the surface at the predetermined thickness, and second means for texturing and aerating the material, the first means located forward of the second means relative to a direction of travel of the resurfacing apparatus.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to a resurfacing apparatus comprising a central frame supported by a plurality of wheels; a plurality of support arms extending forwardly and rearwardly of the central frame; a forward blade applicator assembly secured to the support arms extending forwardly of the central frame; a rearward blade applicator assembly secured to the support arms extending rearwardly of the central frame; wherein each of the forward and rearward blade applicator assemblies comprises an elongated base member and an elongated blade assembly mounted to the base member, and further wherein the trailing blade applicator assembly includes an elongated roller extending rearwardly from the elongated base member.
The above described blade applicator assemblies may be formed in desired lengths, as dictated by the machine length, and the area to be resurfaced. The have significant advantages in that, by the judicious selection of blade notch size and roller cover nap, coatings of various thicknesses up to about 150 mils may be applied in a uniform and attractive manner with extensive savings in both time and cost. Moreover, these blade applicator assemblies may be used in combination with the applicator assemblies of my prior patents for application of complex, multi-coat resurfacing systems.
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows.